MONEY Guardiola bites back over Klopp’s
PEP GUARDIOLA has come out fighting over suggestions that he is merely a ‘chequebook manager’.
The Manchester City boss has been stung by Liverpool gaffer Jurgen Klopp’s claim that Guardiola has an unfair advantage in his quest for a fourth Premier League title in five seasons, thanks to Sheikh Mansour’s billions.
City have just broken the British transfer record by splashing out £100million on Jack Grealish.
And they expect to shatter it again by bringing Harry Kane to the Etihad once today’s explosive season-opener at Tottenham is done with.
But Guardiola has reminded his critics how he built his reputation at Barcelona on homegrown talents like Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
And after a frustrated Klopp suggested City are spending beyond their means, the Catalan fired back by insisting the champions’ major Premier League rivals have owners who are only motivated by profit.
Guardiola said: “I know I had the best player I’ve ever seen in my life – Lionel Messi – but we won two Champions Leagues at Barcelona with seven players from the academy.
“Two finals against Manchester United, seven players, zero cost, from the academy.
“The reality is every owner of every club decides how he wants to live.
“You can win from investment – and investing a lot has helped us because we needed players.
Hypocrisy
“But Liverpool were fighting and fighting and were able to go into the market to spend on two incredible players. And they won.
“They won the Champions League and the Premier League, and all the time they were there.
“If they don’t want to spend more now, maybe it’s because they believe they don’t need it, or because the owners don’t want it.”
City have been fighting the perception they don’t adhere to Financial Fair Play Regulations since winning their appeal against a two-year Champions League ban last year.
Guardiola remained steadfast in his belief that the move to have City kicked out had been motivated by the plight of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan are among the giant clubs saddled with massive debts.
Guardiola insists the capture of
Grealish was only possible because of the £60m sale of Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich last year.
They have also banked £35m by selling Angelino, Jack Harrison and Lukas Nmecha this summer, while Manchester United’s signing of Jadon Sancho raised another £11m.
Innocent
Guardiola said: “We have limits for Financial Fair Play. If other clubs don’t agree they can go to court and make a statement – and we will defend.
“We follow the rules. What happened was that we were innocent since 2014.
“We are in 2020-21 now and every season we have passed the control of Financial Fair Play. But I say the same, there are owners who want benefits for themselves.
“We spend because we can do it. We don’t spend when we cannot do it.
“We have to produce a balance sheet and say, ‘This is what we are, what we have and what we can do’.”
Guardiola added: “Years ago, when Manchester United won a lot of titles and Arsenal won a lot of titles, it was because those two clubs spent more money than other clubs. Do you remember that? At that moment Manchester City couldn’t do it because we did not have the owners we have now who want to be in football.
“Now there is Chelsea with Roman Abramovich, and our club with Sheikh Mansour.
“They want to be in this world, they want to buy into football. What is the problem? If we are wrong then OK, convict us.”